Kenya (Again)

I’m not completely over my jetlag from Japan and now I’m fighting it in Kenya…. so I thought I’d finally post again for the first time in nearly a month (!). This will be a short one, but…

What I’ve seen today:

1) Iron Man 3 is playing in IMAX in Nairobi. The best that a lot of African countries have for cinema choices are small (but excellent) one room DVD/TV theaters which run gore and action movies all day long. At one time, cinemas were present all over Africa. DVDs and problems with security led to their decline. Nairobi, the oasis of development it is, offers current IMAX movies. A little disorienting.

2) People are so excited that the election went smoothly and with little violence, despite the sensationalist pessimistic predictions of the western media. What happens to those who were to stand trial at the ICC, but are now (and again) elected members of the Kenyan government, remains to be seen. I’m pretty sure that Kenyans are far more familiar with the International Criminal Court that just about any other group of people on the planet.

3) A wave of hysteria (a diagnosible and treatable medical condition in Kenya) has attacked students in a nearby town. A teacher was accused of bewitching the students. 2,000 locals attacked the school and attempted to beat the teacher, though she escaped.

4) It is an offense to talk on the cel phone while driving in Kenya. Offenders must appear in court and pay a $75 fine. It is rare to see people talking on the phone and driving in Nairobi.

That’s all I have today. Gotta take this return to blogging thing in baby steps….